1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool which can be used to manipulate nuts, bolts, screws and other fasteners in poorly lighted environments and, in particular, concerns a flashlight apparatus which has a mounting stud for tool bits.
2. Background of the Invention
Many components of automobiles and industrial equipment that require periodic servicing are positioned in poorly lighted environments. For example, industrial control components, such as electronic controls for air conditioner systems, are often positioned inside of unlighted enclosures. These components are often positioned next to exposed high voltage sources or next to delicate components, such as circuit boards, that can be easily damaged.
In these environments, it is necessary for a technician performing the servicing to use a light source to illuminate the area adjacent the component that is to be serviced. Further, the technician often has to remove or otherwise manipulate the component from inside the enclosure to adequately service or replace the component. Hence, the technician generally uses a screwdriver, wrench or socket wrench to either loosen the nuts, bolts or screws that are securing the component inside of the enclosure or to adjust a screw, nut or bolt which controls the operation of the component.
One common type of light source used by technicians in this situation is a trouble light which is a light that is connected to an outlet by an extension cord and can be hung in a position where the component is illuminated. One problem with a trouble light is that it requires that there be an electrical outlet positioned in the vicinity of the equipment that is to be serviced. Often, there is no readily accessible outlet. Further, a trouble light with an extension cord is a bulky item which many technicians do not carry when performing inspections and adjustments of equipment.
However, many technicians carry small "pencil" style flashlights to illuminate the component during servicing, replacement or repair. It can be appreciated, however, that servicing of the components often requires that the technician use both hands to manipulate the tool leaving no hand for the technician to hold the flashlight. Hence, there is a need in the prior art for a compact portable light source that can be used to illuminate a component but does not require the technician to hold the light source in addition to holding a tool.
To address this particular problem, several illuminated tools have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,536 discloses a screwdriver device which contains a light source that provides light in the direction of the shaft of the screwdriver. The screwdriver bit in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,536 is inserted into a socket in a handle portion of the screwdriver and the light source is positioned inside of the handle behind the socket. While this device does provide light in a position adjacent the component to be serviced, this has several disadvantages.
In particular, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,536 is limited to receiving screwdriver bits that are specifically configured to be positioned inside of the socket. Hence, the user of the device shown in this patent is limited to using screwdriver bits that are specifically made for this device. This limits the use of the device as many commonly available attachments and bits designed to be used with socket-type wrenches cannot be used with the device. Further, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,536 is not a very effective light source and cannot be efficiently used as a flashlight. Thus, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,536 is limited in its versatility as it can only be used with specifically designed screwdriver bits and the arrangement of the socket and light in the handle makes the device a relatively poor light source.
Several other devices similar to the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,536 have also been developed. Specifically, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,706,769, 2,288,093 and 3,185,832 disclose lighted screwdriver devices. However, the devices disclosed in each of these patents suffer from the same or similar shortcomings as the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,536.
Hence, there is a need in the prior art for a tool that has a light source which is designed to be used with many different commonly available tool bit attachments. Further, there is also a need for a lighted tool device having a light source which produces a light beam that is focused and of a sufficient intensity so that the device can also function as a flashlight. To this end, the focused beam of light should preferably illuminate the area adjacent the tool member of the lighted tool device without blocking the focused beam of light.